In the best year for the freight transportation industry since the Great Recession, logistics managers chalk up efficiencies that drive further U.S. economic growth. However, capacity issues persist, causing shippers to worry about rate hikes as carriers continue to be meticulous in their partnerships.

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The average price per gallon of diesel gasoline fell for the seventh time in the last nine weeks and the second week in a row, the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) said this week.

The average price per gallon dropped 1.3 cents to $3.857 per gallon, following a 1.6 cent drop last week, no change the previous week and a 2.2 cent decline the week of October 7.

In its recent update of the short-term energy outlook, the EIA expects the average price of diesel for 2013 to be $3.96 per gallon, just ahead of 2012’s $3.97. For 2014, it expects the average price to be 3.76 per gallon.

The recent decline in prices is not entirely surprising, given record high refining in the U.S., shrinking consumer demand and slumping crude oil prices, Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for Internet website price tracker GasBuddy.com, said in a USA Today report. What’s more, the ongoing emergence of natural gas in the U.S. and falling oil prices are also helping to keep prices down, too.

On an annual basis, the average price per gallon of diesel is down 15.3 cents, and the average price per gallon is at its lowest point since the week of July 8, when it was at $3.828.

Regardless of the fluctuation in diesel prices, shippers are cognizant of the impact diesel prices can have on their bottom line—for better or worse.

And they continue to be proactive on that front, too, by taking steps to reduce mileage and transit lengths when possible as well as cut down on empty miles. And even through shippers want to adjust budgets in order to offset the increased costs higher fuel prices bring, it is not always an easy thing to manage.

About the Author

Jeff BermanGroup News Editor

Jeff Berman is Group News Editor for Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, and Supply Chain Management Review. Jeff works and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he covers all aspects of the supply chain, logistics, freight transportation, and materials handling sectors on a daily basis. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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